UFC star Cody Garbrandt says him and Jean-Claude Van Damme are totally cool ... but if they ever fought for real, he would straight-up DECAPITATE the Muscles from Brussels.
"I'd rip his f**king head off ... is that really a question??" Cody told TMZ Sports at the premiere of JCVD's "Kickboxer: Retaliation" event at TAO in Hollywood.
You might remember ... a few months back, JCVD accidentally kicked Cody in the mouth during a light sparring sesh -- a move that had Garbrandt seeing red.
But Garbrandt says Jean-Claude felt so bad he actually started crying ... and now they're bros again.
For Van Damme's sake -- we're glad.